The Ohio Wesleyan Performing Arts Series welcomed A Portable Theatre to the Chappelear Drama Center for a night of classic ghost stories.
As stated on their website, “APT is a non-profit, professional theatrical touring company based in central Ohio.”
The performance, which took place Jan. 24, was titled “Tales from the Grave” and functioned like a live radio play. It featured such ghost stories as: “The Signal-Man” by Charles Dickens, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Body-Snatchers” by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The APT actors taking part in the first ever performance of “Tales from the Grave” were Damian Bowerman, Ed Vaughan, Jonathan Putnam and Jon Farris. Geoffrey Nelson who acts in other APT performances was playwright and director.
Though the stories were meant to be scary, there were also elements of comedy and sound effects that left the audience roaring with laughter. Comedy was often portrayed during the radio commercials that were acted out in the beginning and between each ghost story.
“I liked the comedy, it helped give contrast and a lighter mood,” junior Ciara Cooperider said. Cooperider was one of over 100 audience members.
The sound effects came from home made and store bought props including dry peas in a box, a kazoo, bricks, bells and a rainmaker.
“I also liked the fact that you had to imagine what was going on and the noise (sound effects) adds to that,” Cooperider said.
As “Tales from the Grave” came to a close with a round of applause from the crowd, the actors took a brief intermission before coming out for a Q&A. While answering questions from fans of the performance who stuck around, the four actors along with Nelson discussed rehearsing, coming up with the props and their nostalgia for performing.
“I really liked it, it was really good,” said Jimmy Russell, a senior at Delaware Hayes High School. “It was a good take on classic radio plays.”